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Some of the readers posting in the story’s comments section have raised detailed questions about how the new streetcars will work and how they’ll affect how we get around each day.

We pulled half a dozen of the most interesting of those queries and asked the TTC’s Brad Ross to provide answers. Here they are:

1. From Kaapenaar

How will fare collection happen at those multiple access doors? Seems to me there’ll be a lot of freebie riders, unless fare-control happens at EACH door. If so, how will the “20% boarding time” possibly be improved? The vehicle’s accessible design lends itself to e-tickets, which is far beyond the TTC’s medieval pay system.

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The TTC is adopting the Presto farecard system. Car readers will be placed at all doors; when you board, you simply tap the reader and your fare is deducted. As well, two ticket machines will be on board for those paying cash. These vending machines will also be placed at some of the TTC’s busier streetcars stops around the city — on the sidewalk. The TTC will also be deploying a new fare-enforcement team whose only job will be to randomly check fares — common practice around the world for proof-of-payment systems. Not paying your fare risks a hefty fine of between $200 and $300.

2. From rpearlston

… These streetcars are supposedly fully accessible. How can they be that when just about every traffic island in this city neither has leveled curbs nor the width to accommodate a ramp and the turning radius of a wheeled mobility device?

All of the streetcar platforms today are accessible to mobility devices. Where they aren’t, the TTC and City are making adjustments. Where there isn’t a platform, curb cuts from sidewalks to the street (about 700 of them) are being made to allow easy access to the streetcar and ramp that deploys from the car’s second set of doors.

3. From wile

What exactly do they have to test for a year? Shouldn’t they be ready and tested by Bombardier prior to delivery? There should be a discount to the TTC if they are still testing the new streetcar and are finding problems that the manufacturer needs to be fixed.

These aren’t off-the-shelf vehicles, nor are they like an automobile that you can just drive off the lot. In fact, this streetcar, based on Bombardier’s Flexity streetcar model, has been custom-made for Toronto. The city has a number of unique features to its streetcar network not seen anywhere else in the world: tight loops, steep grades, wider gauge (track width). It’s also highly computerized and has a ramp that has been specially designed for this car alone. Before we can begin operating and carrying passengers, we need to make sure this complicated machine doesn’t surprise us while carrying a carful of passengers.

4. From Don Diego

The first snowfall of any consequence in this city will have them grinding and squealing to a sudden halt. Not very efficient for the passengers on them, or the traffic mayhem behind them as a result.

Snow won’t be an issue, any more than it is today. The cars are not lower than the current fleet. The floors and boarding have been lowered for accessibility, but the wheels are still on the ground. Most of the components, in fact, are on the roof. At 30-plus tons, it’d take a heckuva lot of snow to hold up a streetcar. The bigger issue streetcars face in winter are parked cars (that have run) afoul of the rail after a storm.

5. From Big L

Tatra PCC would have been a better choice. More smaller streetcars, better service, less points of failure. The CLRV were a failure, 30-year lifespan? A lot of towns are still running their PCC and Milan is still running their Peter Witts.

Our experience, and the experience of many transit providers around the world, is slightly different. Nevertheless, these new cars are accessible, address capacity issues and are air-conditioned.

6. From headache

When one of these monsters is out of service, it will affect a lot of riders. I will assume the bigger the vehicle, the more likely it will break down faster. Harder for cars to manoeuvre around. Will be more of a traffic hazard (with) everything else around, unless on dedicated lines like on Spadina or new LRT lines being created. Not user-friendly for small streets or no wide lanes with enough space for everything else to move around these monsters. Otherwise, sleek and modern-looking.

With newness comes much greater reliability, i.e. far fewer breakdowns. The current fleet is 30 years old; parts are obsolete now, causing us to, literally, make and craft our own. One of the reasons we’re testing so rigorously is to ensure we catch the little things, and fix them before production begins, that could cause service to halt. As for maneuvering around the streetcar in an automobile, not surprisingly I suppose, my respectful suggestion is to take the TTC and leave the car at home!

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